Question

The gravitational force of attraction between two students sitting at their desks in physics class is 2.30 x 10-8 N. If one student has a mass of 45.0 kg and the other has a mass of 55.0 kg, how far apart are the students sitting? Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a meter.

Answer 1

r = 0.174 m

Step-by-step explanation:

gravitational force equation

F is the force of attraction,

G is the gravitational constant (6.6743 x 10^-11 N*m^2/kg^2),

m1 and m2 are the masses of the two students, and

r is how far apart are the students sitting

F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2

N = Newtons = kg⋅m/s^2

2.30 x 10^-8 N = (6.6743 x 10^-11 N*m^2/kg^2) * (45.0 kg * 55.0 kg) / r^2

r^2 = (6.6743 x 10^-11 N*m^2/kg^2) * (45.0 kg * 55.0 kg) / (2.30 x 10^-8 N)

r^2 = (6.6743 x 10^-11 kg⋅m/s^2*m^2/kg^2) * (45.0 kg * 55.0 kg) / (2.30 x 10^-8 kg⋅m/s^2)

Take the square root of both sides, we get:

r = 0.174 m

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